If the twenty-first century seems an unlikely stage for the return of a 14th-century killer, the authors of Return of the Black Death argue that the plague, which vanquished half of Europe, has only lain dormant, waiting to emerge again-perhaps, in another form. At the heart of their chilling scenario is their contention that the plague was spread by direct human contact (not from rat fleas) and was, in fact, a virus perhaps similar to AIDS and Ebola. Noting the periodic occurrence of plagues throughout history, the authors predict its inevitable re-emergence sometime in the future, transformed by mass mobility and bioterrorism into an even more devastating killer.

Preface. Introduction. Chapter 1: Birth of a serial killer. Chapter 2: The Black Death crosses the Channel. Chapter 3: After the Black Death: the French connection. Chapter 4: Tentacles of the plague. Chapter 5: England under siege. Chapter 6: Portrait of an epidemic. Chapter 7: The Great Plague of London. Chapter 8: How bugs and germs operate. Chapter 9: Building an identikit of the killer. Chapter 10: Debunking history. Chapter 11: Bubonic plague - a myth revisited. Chapter 12: DNA analysis - a red herring. Chapter 13: The true story of an historic village. Chapter 14: The surprising link between AIDS and the Black Death. Chapter 15: Assembling the jigsaw puzzle. Chapter 16: The Black Death in hiding. Chapter 17: Why did haemorrhagic plague suddenly disappear? Chapter 18: The dangers of emergent diseases. Chapter 19: The return of the Black Death? Chapter 20: Is there something more terrible than the Black Death? Further reading. Index.

If the twenty-first century seems an unlikely stage for the return of a 14th-century killer, the authors of Return of the Black Death argue that the plague, which vanquished half of Europe, has only lain dormant, waiting to emerge again-perhaps, in another form. At the heart of their chilling scenario is their contention that the plague was spread by direct human contact (not from rat fleas) and was, in fact, a virus perhaps similar to AIDS and Ebola. Noting the periodic occurrence of plagues throughout history, the authors predict its inevitable re-emergence sometime in the future, transformed by mass mobility and bioterrorism into an even more devastating killer.

Table of Contents

Preface. Introduction. Chapter 1: Birth of a serial killer. Chapter 2: The Black Death crosses the Channel. Chapter 3: After the Black Death: the French connection. Chapter 4: Tentacles of the plague. Chapter 5: England under siege. Chapter 6: Portrait of an epidemic. Chapter 7: The Great Plague of London. Chapter 8: How bugs and germs operate. Chapter 9: Building an identikit of the killer. Chapter 10: Debunking history. Chapter 11: Bubonic plague - a myth revisited. Chapter 12: DNA analysis - a red herring. Chapter 13: The true story of an historic village. Chapter 14: The surprising link between AIDS and the Black Death. Chapter 15: Assembling the jigsaw puzzle. Chapter 16: The Black Death in hiding. Chapter 17: Why did haemorrhagic plague suddenly disappear? Chapter 18: The dangers of emergent diseases. Chapter 19: The return of the Black Death? Chapter 20: Is there something more terrible than the Black Death? Further reading. Index.